This one started off with lots of promise until I hit midway. Time travel is one of my favorites when it comes to nostalgic reads with a dash of magical realism. It gave off very cozy feels and I was excited to be part of this readalong for The Hive. Unfortunately it wasn't exactly what I envisioned and the writing style and tone together was difficult to push through. The storyline also didn't capture my imagination as I had hoped and although it was readable, it wasn't great.

I really, really wish I loved this more. But I would say it's honestly closer to 1.5 stars than 2.
I went into this that it would be a very cozy read about a ghost kitty observing the changes in the world around him. But it was less cozy and more fantasy. I knew right off the bat that this wouldn't work from me when the kitty went to kitty heaven and it honestly reminded me of the cringey CGI werewolves in Breaking Dawn Part 1-- I just couldn't take that seriously. I don't think we needed those parameters/challenges for this story. It would've been enough just have a kitty wake up as a ghost, watching the world change around him. But this was just over complicated and weirdly done. Bummer.

Wow! I was expecting something totally different going into this book. Honestly it was fantastic. It’s almost like a coming of age story for the cat. And it for some reason gave me Hocus Pocus Binks vibes. Maybe because he is living in multiple generations and seeing times change.

I really enjoyed this book and like how the ghost cat is telling the story and explaining all the changes in time.

The idea of this book was very cute. The execution fell a bit flat for me. The book was all vibes with a big focus on history. We follow a cat named Grimalkin who, at the end of his first life, accidentally doesn’t get his other 8. The Cat-Sith offers him the chance to live his other lives as a ghost cat. We then follow his journey through time.

The cat’s reaction to different technology and slang was cute. Unfortunately he wasn’t very likable and was super judgmental. Basically a a furry curmudgeon. If you’re looking for a slow walk through random bits of Scottish history this was a creative way to take that journey. Unfortunately it just wasn’t for me.

This book didn’t really hold my attention at all. It might be a personal preference. Not really into historical fiction.

The Ghost Cat is a charming tale of Grimalkin the cat, who haunts his old Victorian lodgings for 120 years. The setting is so comforting and warm as Howard takes you through the decades. The Ghost Cat is pleasant lovely read, however will not incite most readers to pick it off the book shop shelf.

Thanks to NetGalley and Harlequin publishing for the eARC.

I’ve picked this up and put it down. Borrowed the audiobook and it is just not my cup of tea. The premise was fun and interesting but I found the overall decades to short and the details to minor that by the time I had myself captured it was ending.

The Ghost Cat by Alex Howard is a unique concept – history of a place through the eyes of a ghost cat and its nine lives. Sadly, by the end, I find myself not the reader for this book. It is a slow paced read that simultaneously feels too long and too short. It covers a long time period but in way that I am unable to invest in the characters or the story. It ends up not quite what I expected.

Read my complete review at http://www.memoriesfrombooks.com/2024/11/the-ghost-cat.html

Reviewed for NetGalley and a publisher’s blog tour.

I enjoyed following Grimalkin through his nine lives over 120 years—three lives to stay, three lives to stray, and three lives to play. It was a cute and cozy historical fiction showing the lives of various people in an Edinburgh flat through the eyes of a cat. I really enjoyed the uniqueness of reading a story through the eyes of a cat. My only complaint is that the stories were too short.

*Provided a DRC (digital review copy) from the publisher for review. All opinions are my own.

The overall concept for this story was super interesting. We are introduced to our main character a cat named Grimalkin. Due to unforeseen circumstances his first life ended to early so he is given a chance to live his remaining 9 lives as a ghost cat. He must stay for 3, stray for 3 and lastly, 3 for play. He gets to see the ever-changing times and the revolving door of residents--some famous in Edinburgh, Scotland. This bit was interesting to me but I wanted more time in each time period---it seemed a bit rushed. I would have also liked to see Grimalkin's interactions with his beloved Eilidh more. I think the writing needed a bit more work bit overall it was okay.

I received an ARC of this book via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was a fun story of how times had changed over 120 years through the eyes of a cat. He was able to experience many things but still have the demeanor of a cat when it was called for. I'm glad he was able to find his human friend and be there with her when it mattered most (all who read this book will understand). Thank you for sharing the story!

I thought this cozy historical fiction novel was easy and a cute concept. The story is a bit slow but the brevity of the book makes up for the slower writing. I enjoyed the unique perspective of a cat living out his 9 lives as a ghost, I thought the concept was very creative and I learned about some major events in history from Victorian England through the following century.

This was a cute story with a cat at center stage! In this story, the cat who has lived its 9 lives already, lives through 9 ghost lives where it moves through parts of history and at times crosses paths with important or notorious historical figures. A slow, short, cozy story, curl up with the cat Grimalkin in this one to see through the eyes of a poltergeist cat.

Thank you to the author, netgalley and the publisher.

This was such a sweet book! Grimalkin becomes a ghost cat and lives in the same home for 120 years, seeing the changes time brings and watching as its inhabitants come and go. Very charming and it made me a bit weepy at several points. It may seem like a book for middle-graders but one chapter is full of expletives, so beware before giving it to your children. Well-written and charming.

I really wanted to like this book. However, the book couldn’t hold my attention. The writing style was bland. The characters were forgettable and it was a very uninteresting cat.

I enjoyed this story a lot. It was an easy read. I thought it was very cute. I would rate it a 4.5 stars.

The concept of this was really cool. It is about Grimalkin, a cat in Edinburgh, who passes away and is granted to live out his 9 lives (but as a ghost cat). He explores Edinburgh, Scotland, over the next 120 years and processes all of the changes and inventions throughout history. I thought that aspect was neat. What I didn't care for was that Grimalkin was kind of a dick. I'm sorry, I don't know how else to put it. He was a judgmental cat from the 1800s. I did not think he had any depth. It was a brief touch on parts of history and we had no time to connect to any characters, including him.

I received a e-book ARC of this novel. Thank you to NetGalley & Harlequin Trade Publishing. I could not get through the physical copy of this book - I read until about 26%. I waited for the book to be published and accessed the audiobook via my library to finish the last 74%. I think this could have been really endearing and thoughtful but it missed the mark for me.

Grimalkin is living as good a life as any Victorian cat could expect. Well loved, he can feel himself slowing down. He is 15 which is a goodly age. But when he awakens and finds himself in a strange place, he is bewildered. He is doubly perplexed when he is told that somehow he has been scooted away before he has lived the nine lives promised to all cats. While his is a prodigious age, he has only lived one life. He is owed eight more.

He can return to his home but he will be a ghost cat and he is warned that it may not be easy to watch the years pass. As he goes through the eight other lives- two more to stay, three to stray and three to play- he is part of some of the more momentous occasions of the 20th and 21st Century. It is not until his final three that he is able to do anything to impact the world in his ghostly form. His losses and frustrations melt away when he is able to haunt the current residents of his former flat. He gets to mete out some justice and to reward the worthy.

The stories are all fun with a Victorian cat’s perspective watching the changes in the world. Rigid at first, he does learn to bend a little but when the end is nigh, Grimalkin is ready. He has lived his nine lives fully. Four purrs and two paws up.

We've all heard the expression that a cat has nine lives, but what happens when the gatekeeper is busy and a cat dies after only one life? When Grimalkin was a kitten, he was rescued by Elidh, a woman who worked at 7/7 Marchmont Crescent in Edinburgh. Her employer allowed her to keep him and he lived for many years, but he was getting over. It's 1902 and he falls asleep for the last time. When he awakens, he discovers he is not really dead as he has 8 more lives to go. He must travel through time to live those lives before he can head to the afterlife. Grimalkin's magical journey begins. He lives those lives traveling through time, but always at 7/7 Marchmont. He sees different people living in the home, is with Elidh when she passes, sees developments in technology, different monarchs, war, and changes in human behaviour. He is not seen by others, but he sees them and remembers. It's not until his last three lives that he can eat, touch and change things.

The Ghost Cat is not a book that I would normally have picked up, as I am not a cat person, but the premise was intriguing and I'm glad I did. This was a magical story, traveling through time, but not place to observe human behaviour as it changed. I loved the name, as it gave me that ghostly feeling. Grimalkin narrated the story where history is told in snippets. We hear about the publishing of Peter Pan, the use of electric lights, the changing of monarchs and more, ending with the death of Queen Elizabeth the second. I really liked the ending where Grimalkin is able to actually touch and move things and he does something to help a young woman who has been bullied. If you enjoy cats and history, this is a book for you. I do recommend it.

I am definitely a cat lover so I thought I’d really enjoy reading about Grimalkin the ghost cat. There was just something missing in the execution of this story. It was just okay for me.